Think twice before getting scans or x-rays

As I mentioned in an earlier post, tests such as scans are a revenue source for medical institutions and are often given needlessly. Research shows that about one-third of the scans serve little if any medical purpose. They can also be dangerous. At least two percent of all future cancers in the US—about 29,000 cases and 15,000 death per year—are a result of CT scans alone.  Dr. Stephen J. Swensen, medical director at the Mayo Clinic says, “If the scan isn’t necessary or emits the wrong dose of radiation, the risks far outweigh the benefits.”

The information in this post comes from the March, 2015 issue of Consumer Reports, which gives a detailed report on the various types of scans, their uses and dangers. I’ll give a brief summary, beginning with an explanation of each type of scan, plagiarized from the magazine:

• Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves create echoes as they bounce off organs and tissues. The echoes are turned into images called sonograms. The images of soft tissue disease are fairly good, but not detailed. Radiation exposure: none.

• MRI: Magnetic resonance imagining uses magnets and radio waves to create images; takes from 45 minutes to two hours with patient inside a machine. Radiation exposure: none.

• Mammogram: Uses low-dose x-rays. Radiation exposure: low.

• X-Ray: emits a broad beam that passes through the body before landing on film, creating shadow-like images. Excellent for creating images of bones. Radiation exposure: minimal to medium.

• CT: computed tomography uses a pencil-thin X-ray beam to create a series of images from multiple angles, which create a 3D image. Excellent for looking at soft tissue. Radiation exposure: minimal to high.

• PET: positron emission tomography requires the patient to ingest a radioactive tracer that lands in cells, especially cancer cells, from which an image is created. Radiation exposure: medium to high.

 According to the magazine, “Just one CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis equals about 10 millisieverts, more radiation than most residents of Fukushima, Japan, absorbed after the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011” Add to that the fact that there are no federal radiation limits for any kind of imagining and no national standards for training or certifying technologists. Apparently about one-third of the scanners now used across the country won’t meet the safety features that will soon be required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Next week: Guidelines on getting or avoiding scans

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